Detacking machine for rope fabric



March 7, 1944.

H. R. SWETT DETACKING MACHINE FOR ROPE FABRIC Filed Feb. 11, 1943 2Sheets-Sheet 1 lnvenTor. HinK\ey RFSweIT MM4W Aitys.

March 7, 1944. sw 2,343,267

DETACKING MACHINE FOR ROPE FABRIC Filed Feb. 11, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2lnventor.

HinKley RSWeTT Patented Mar. 7, 1944- 2,343,267 DETACKING MACHINE FORROPE FABRIC Hinkley R. Swett, Sanf ord, Maine, assignor to SanfordMills, Sanford, Maine, a corporation of Maine Application February 11,1943, Serial No. 475,564

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in detacking machines forunstitching the tacking thread which connects adjoining edges of a webof fabric and holding the fabric in tubular or rope form. It iscustomary in the finishing of woolen and worsted fabrics and the like tofold the web of fabric longitudinally with the face inside and tack theadjoining edges, usually the selvage edges, thereof together .to producea tubular or rope form. This is found advantageous, particularly infulling, to protect the face of the goods from chafing during fulling asthe face is kept from being worn by contact with the heavy rolls of thefulling machine. At the same time the salvage edges are prevented fromrolling or curving over and from being caught or torn in the fullingmills. When such fabrics are run in the fulling mills or washers afterbeing tacked the air inside the goods causes the folds to changeposition each time as they pass between the rolls, thus avoiding creasesor wrinkles and consequent streaking of the goods. The tacking of theadjacent or selvage edges of the web of fabric is usually done by achain stitching machine in which a single thread is anchored in thegoods by concatenated loops so that when the thread is desired to beremoved one end can be unlocked from the goods and the threadprogressively drawn out. Such detacking or imtacking of the tackingthread has heretofore been accomplished manually or by winding thedetacking thread upon a rotating cylindrical roll as the goods areprogressively drawn in the direction of the aXis of the roll. It is atendency of the tacking thread to be drawn at right angles to thedirection of movement of the roll and as a consequence to bunch upon theperiphery of the roll. The longitudinal and lateral movements of thetube or rope of fabric, particularly when the fabric is drawn from astack, varies considerably so that the thread is Wound with uneventension upon such cylindrical roll.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a machinehaving means for progressively unstitching the tacking thread undercontinuous tension irrespective of variations in the movement of thefabric.

The wetting of the stitched rope of fabric, when the fabric is Woolen,worsted or other shrinkable material, naturally results in the variationin the position of the stitches longitudinally of the rope due to thedifference in shrinkage of the fabric and of the tacking threadespecially when the thread, as is usual, is of cotton.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which acts uponthe occurrence of any such variation to shift the thread longitudinallyof the reel as it is withdrawn and thus to cause the thread to be woundsnugly on the reel under all conditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for unstitchingthe tacking thread which will maintain a substantially uniform tensionupon the thread. This is accomplished in the present invention byproviding a reel located in suitably spaced relation to the path ofmovement of the fabric and in axial alinement therewith and having aconoidal surface for winding the thread diverging in the direction ofmovement of the fabric so that if the speed of the fabric is increasedthe thread, which tends to extend perpendicularly from the point ofdetachment to the reel, will be wound upon progressively increasedeffective diameters of the reel, thereby maintaining the substantiallyuniform tension upon the thread and conversely if the speed of movementof the fabric is decreased the thread will be Wound upon progressivelydecreasing efiective diameters again maintaining substantially uniformtension upon the thread. Furthermore such variations in the relativespeed of movement of the fabric and the speed of rotation of the reelwill cause a traverse of the thread upon the reel which will decreasethe tendency of close bunching of the thread on the reel.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for adjustingrelative speed of movement of the fabric and the peripheral speed of thereel which will enable the thread to be wound upon different portions ofthe reel throughout its length.

Where cylinders have been employed in previous detacking machines forwinding up the detacking thread it has been necessary either to unwindthe reel or to cut the accumulated thread by a knife which is drawnlongitudinally of the cylinder with its edge in contact with theperiphery of the cylinder to insure complete severance of the threadtherefrom. In such case the roll rapidly becomes scarred and'soon wornout as considerable pressure is required to insure severance of all thethread. g

Another object of the invention is to provide a reel of the characterabove described having ribs and longitudinal alternating longitudinal 7spaces therebetween sothat theend of theknife can be inserted into aspace and drawn along with a reciprocating movement to severallthespirals of the threads Without in any wise injuring the surfacesupon which the thread is reeled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction in which anoperator can readily control the driving mechanism for moving the fabriclongitudinally and the reeling mechanism for the tacking thread and alsoconveniently adjust the rate of rotation of the reel to cause thetacking thread to be wound upon different portions of the reel.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fullyappear from the following description and the accompanying drawings andwill be particularly pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a detacking machine embodying theinvention the portion of a depend ing supporting bracket being brokenaway;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same illustrating graphically anelectric motor for actuating the mechanism for drawing the fabriclongitudinally upwardly and having the circuit thereof and the circuitfor actuating the reel controlled by a common switch mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on line 3-3 Fig. 2'.

The detaching machine which is illustrated in the drawings comprises anoverhead framework having suitably spaced front posts I spondinglyspaced vertical rear posts 2 which arefirmly anchored at their upperends to suitable horizontal beams; such as the beams of the ceiling of aroom. The front and rear posts are connected by parallel side girders 3and the front posts I are connected by horizontal girders 4 the ends ofwhich desirably rest upon the girders 3. A pair of boards or plates 5abutting at their edges are mounted upon the under sides of the frontand rear girders 4 midway of the length thereof and are providedcentrally with complementary semi-circular recesses in which is mounteda flanged pot eye 6. Similar boards or plates 1 which abut at theiredges are mounted centrally of the length of the rear posts 2 and arelikewise provided with complementary semicircular recesses in which asimilar flanged pot eye 8 is mounted. The tubular fabric or rope offabric 8 which has ed is drawn upwardly through the horizontal potthrough the vertical pot eye 8 and is drawn therefrom preferably in openwidth form by cooperating rolls l9 and H of a scutcher and squeezer. Asthe tube or rope of fabric is thus drawn upwardly the chain stitchtacking thread which secures the adjoining edges of the web of fabric,usually the selvage edges thereof, is progressively drawn out. as thefabric moves upwardly.

Inasmuch as the adjoining edges of the fabric are usually tackedtogether by a chain stitch machine the term chain stitch or chaintitching is used herein as descriptive of any form of stitching whichcan be progressively withdrawn to unstitch the seam, whether in the formof a us a he v tit h. double cha s tch. any other form of stitchingwhich can be proges'sively withdrawn. I c c I, V

The mechanism for progressively detacking or untacking the tacking seamcomprises a downwardly converging conoidal reel which is suspendedvertically from the framework. As illustrated herein a bracket,prefe'rably in the form of a pair of angle barsor a channel bar l2, 'issecured at its upper end by bolts I3 to a projectfrom a suitable stackand corre-,

been fulled or otherwise treateye 6 and thence ing portion of one of thefront posts I and has secured to its lower end a horizontal plate l4upon the end portion of which suitable antifriction bearings l5 aremounted which support the shaft of the reel. The plates l4 desirably arereenforced by gussets l6 welded to the plate IA and to the verticalchannel or angle bars l2.

A horizontal angle bar girder I1 is secured at its ends to the posts Iand desirably abuts the under faces of the side girders 3. A parallelangle bar girder l8, which is spaced from the girder I1, is secured atits ends to the posts I and has weld.- ed to it the vertical flange IQof a horizontal angle plate 20 upon which is mounted an antifrictlonbearing 2! for the vertical shaft 22 of a conical reel, the lower end ofsaid shaft being stepped in the bearing IS.

The reel comprises a conical body 23, which maybe of wood or othersuitable material, having longitudinally extending radial recesses inwhich are seated cleats 24 which diverge upward- 1y from the lower endof the conical body and provide in effect a conoid'al winding surfacefor the tacking thread.

The reel is driven from an electric motor through suitable variablespeed mechanism having means for adjusting the peripheral speed ofrotation relatively to the speed at which the rope of fabric is drawnupwardly from the stack. In the preferred construction illustrated anelectric motor 25 is slidably mounted upon a base which is secured byspaced plates or brackets 26 and 2'! to the girders H and lil. A screw28, Which is journaled in the brackets 26 and 21, extends through andengages a nut upon or fixedly secured to the motor and is provided witha hand Wheel 2% by means of which the motor can be adjusted horizontallyrelatively to the brackets 26 and 2?.

One end of the motor shaft has mounted upon it a variable speed pulleyfor a V-belt, the pulley being formed in complementary sections 30 and3|, the section 30 being fixedly secured 'to the shaft and the section3| being slidably mounted upon it with a'suitable spring 32, which ismounted in a housing 33 which is secured to the shaft acting to pressthe pulley section 3| toward the section 33. A V-belt 34 is mounted upona variable speed pulley and engages a large V-pulley 35 which is fixedlysecured to the shaft 22.

By adjusting the motor 25 laterally with respect to the axis of theshaft 22 of the reel the tension of the V-belt upon the variable speedpulley will cause the belt-engaging faces of the variable speed pulleyto separate or to come together and consequently change the effectivedriving radius of the pulley upon the V-belt, so that the speed ofrotation of the reel can be accurately adjusted properly to correlatethe effective peripheral speed of the reel to the speed of the rope offabric being detacked.

Inasmuch as it is desirable that an operator may simultaneously controlthe motor for the detacking mechanism and also the motor of thescutc'her and "squeezer or other mechanism which draws the fabriclengthwise, suitable switch mechanism is provided for both motorcircuits as is graphically illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Suchmechanism comprises a switch box 36 which is conveniently mounted uponthe supporting frame, such for example as upon one of the posts I. Asuitable electric circuit 3'! leads from a source of power to the switchbox and circuits 38 and 39 lead from the switch respectively to themotor 25 and to the motor -40 re:

the scutcher and squeezer or other mechanism which draws the fabricupwardly. The switch which simultaneously controls both the circuits 38and 39 is provided with an actuating arm 4| which is normally held inoff position so that both motors may be started and continuously runonly when the switch arm 4| is moved to on position.

Inasmuch as the reel can be made of considerable length, as for examplefive or six feet, a platform is provided for the operator, having a stepmounted thereon which shall enable the operator readily to reach thehand wheel for adjusting the speed of the reel in proper correlation tothe speed at which the fabric is moved upwardly. In the constructionillustrated a platform 42, which is mounted upon suitable legs 43, hasmounted upon it a stepladder 44 of sufficient height to enable theoperator conveniently to reach the hand wheel. The platform 42 also hasmounted upon it ahinge pedal 45 the free end portion of which isconnected by a chain or cord pull 4B the upper end of which is connectedto the switch arm 4|. The operator therefore standing on the platformwill depress the pedal 44 to start the motor which actuates themechanism for pulling the fabric upwardly and also to start the motorfor the reel and actuation of such motors will be maintained so long'asthe pedal is depressed.

When it is..desired to change the adjustment of the speed of the reelthe operator will release his foot from the pedal 45 thereby permittingthe switch arm 4| to swing upwardly to "off" position. The operator canthen mount the steps and make such proper adjustment of the speed of themotor 25 as may be desirable, properly to wind the detacking thread uponthe reel as it is withdrawn from the rope of fabric.

As illustrated in the drawings the rope of fabric 9 is brought to thedetacking machine in a wheeled truck 41 which is located approximatelyvertically beneath the pot eye 6.

When the machine is in operation the proper end of the detacking thread48 is secured to the lower end portion of the reel which is of smallestdiameter. Suitable lower and upper plates 49 and 50, which are securedto the bracket I2, are provided to prevent the detacking thread frompassing beyond the respective ends of the reel.

As the successive stitches of the tacking thread are progressivelydetached from the fabric by the tension placed upon the thread by thereel the section of thread between the fabric and the Y reel normallytends to assume horizontal position. If, however, the movement of therope of fabric increases relatively to the peripheral speed of the partof the reel upon which it is wound the point of detachment of the threadfrom the rope of fabric will be carried progressively upwardly and as aconsequence the thread will be wound upon progressively larger efiectivediameters of the reel. Conversely if the upward movement of the fabricdecreases the thread will traverse downwardly upon the portions of thereel of smaller diameter. This will cause the thread to be woundsmoothly upon the reel. Similarly variations in the movement of thefabric away from and toward the reel, as th fabric is withdrawn from thepile, will cause a traverse of the thread upon the conoidal reel whichwill maintain a continuous and substantially uniform tension upon thetacking thread.

So long as the relative upward movements of the'fabric and theperipheralspeed of the reel is maintained at a substantially fixed correlation thelength of traverse of the thread upon the reel will be relatively short.However, by reducing the speed of rotation of the reel continued uppermovement of the fabric at the same rate will cause the tacking thread tobe wound upon a larger effective diameter of the reel. The operatortherefore by adjusting the speed of the variable speed motor bymanipulation of the hand wheel 29 will cause the tacking thread to bewound upon a section of the reel of larger diameter and by successivelycontinuing such adjustment the reel can be filled practically to theupper end thereof until limited by the plate 50.

By reason of the present construction therefore a long rope of fabriccan be detacked without unloading the reel.

Another feature of the invention consists in the provision of means forreadily removing the tacking thread from the filled reel. As abovestated in previous constructions where cylindrical wooden rolls havebeen employed in detacking machines it is customary to remove thetacking thread by running a knife lengthwise of the cylindrical rollthereby cutting into and injuring the rope.

In the present construction the thread is reeled upon the cleats 24which are spaced apart so that a knife can be employed to sever thespirals without injury to the surfaces upon which the thread is reeled.The space between the windings upon the reel and the core or body of thereel is sufficient to' enable the knife to be reciprocated as it isdrawn along the windings thereby facilitating the severance of all ofthe threads. If the knife should nick the body or core of the reel it isof no consequence as the periphery upon which the thread is wound willremain uninjured.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention shown anddescribed herein is of an illustrative character and is not restrictiveand that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of partsmay be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus desoribedthe invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto b secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprising arotating reel for the tacking thread located in suitably spaced relationto and in axialparallelism with the path of movement of the fabrichaving means for maintaining constant substantially uniform tension uponthe stitching thread irrespective of variations in the movement of thefabric.

2. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprising arotating reel for the tacking thread located in suitable relation to andin substantially axial parallelism with the path of movement of saidfabric having thread-engaging means so diverging in said direction ofmovement that variations in the rate of movement of the fabric willcause the thread to be wound upon such circumferential portion of thereel as will maintain a constant substantially uniform tension on thethread.

3. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprising areel located in suitably spaced relation to and in axial parallelismwith the path of movement of said fabric and rotated at a constant speedand provided with a longitudinally recessed thread-engaging peripherydivergingly tapering in the direction of movement of the fabric operableto cause the traverse of the thread thereon produced by irregularmovements of the fabric to wind the tacking thread on the reel underconstant tension.

4. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprisingmeans for progressively guiding the fabric upwardly from a folded stackthereof, means for drawing said fabric upwardly, a conoidal reel locatedin suitably spaced relation to and in substantially axial parallelismwith the path of movement of said fabric, and means for rotating thereel in correlation to the speed of movement of the fabric, wherebyvariations in the movements of the upwardly moving fabric will producesuch upward and downward traverse of the thread upon the conoidal reelas will maintain sub stantially uniform tension upon the thread.

5. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprisingmeans for progressively guiding the fabric upwardly from a folded stackthereof, means for drawing said fabric upwardly, a conoidal reel locatedin suitably spaced relation to and in substantially axial parallelismwith the path of movement of said fabric, means for rotating the reel incorrelation to the speed of movement of the fabric, whereby variationsin the movements of the upwardly moving fabric will pro- 5 duce suchupward and downward traverse of the thread upon the conoidal reel aswill maintain substantially uniform tension upon the thread, and meansfor adjusting the speed of rotation of the reel relatively to the speedof travel ofthe fabric to cause the thread to be wound upon differentlongitudinal portions of the reel.

6. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting'the adjoiningedges of a tubular rope fabric stacked in zig-zag folded form comprisingan overhead frame having means for guiding the fabric lengthwiseupwardly, a reel for the tacking thread supportedby and extendingdownwardly from said frame located in suit ably spaced relation to andin axial parallelism with the path of movement of said fabric, r'r-ieansfor rotating said reel including an electric motor and manuallyadjustable speed mechanism mounted on said frame operable so to correlatthe speed of rotation of said reel 'to the speed of movement of thefabric as to maintain a con stant tension upon the thread and bysuitable adjustment to cause the thread to be wound upon differentlongitudinal portions of the reel.

7. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedgesof a tubular rope fabric stacked in zig-zag folded form comprisingan overhead frame having means for guiding the fabric lengthwiseupwardly, electric motor actuated means for progressively drawing thefabric upwardly an upwardly diverging concidal reel for the tackingthread supported by and extending downwardly from said frame located insuitably spaced relation to and in axial parallelism with the path ofmovement of the fabric, means for rotating said reel including anelectric motor and variable speed mechanism mounted on said frame,manually operable means for adjusting said variable speed mechanism tocorrelate. the peripheral rotation of the reel relatively to the speedof the fabric to cause the thread to be wound upon different portions ofthe reel, and manually operable means for simultaneously stopping andstarting said electric motors 8. A machine for untacking a chain stitchseam uniting the adjoining edges of a tubular rope fabric stacked inzig-zag folded form comprising an overhead frame having means forguiding the fabric lengthwise upwardly, electric motor actuated. meansfor progressively drawing the fabric upwardly, an upwardly divergingconoidal reel for the tacking thread supported by and extendingdownwardly from said frame located in suitably spaced relation to and inaxial parallelism with the path of movement of the fabric, means forrota-ting said reel including an electric motor and variable speedmechanism mounted on said frame, manually operable means for adjustingsaid variable speed mechanism to correlate the peripheral rotation ofthe reel relatively to the speed of the fabric to cause the threadto bewound upon different portions of the reel, manually operable means forsimultaneously stopping and starting said electric motors comprising anelectric switch mounted on said overhead frame for simultaneouslystarting and stopping said motors normally held in off position, aplatform for the operator located in proximity to said reel having apedal mounted thereon with means connecting the same to said switchmechanism operable when maintained in depressed position by the operator'to cause the actuation of both motors.

9. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprising arotating conoidal reel, means for correlating the normal rate of travelof the fabric and the speed of rotation of the reel to cause variationsfrom the normal rate of travel of the fabric to shift the threadlongitudinally of the reel as it is wound thereupon to maintain aconstant tension upon the thread.

10. A machine for untacking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprising arotating conoidal reel, means for correlating the normal rate of travelof the fabric and the speed of rotation of the reel to cause variationsfrom the normal rate of travel of the fabric to shift the threadlongitudinally of the reel as it is wound thereupon to maintain aconstant ten- 7 sion upon the thread, and manually adjustable means forcontrolling the normal position of the thread as it is wound on thereel.

11. A machine for untaoking a chain stitch seam uniting the adjoiningedges of a longitudinally traveling tubular rope of fabric comprising arotating conoidal reel for the tacking thread located in suitably spacedrelation to and in axial parallelism with the path of movement of thefabric, and means for correlating the normal speed of travel of thefabric and the speed of rotation of the feel, the said elements actingupon occurrence of 'variations in the position from whichsuccessivestitches are detached from the traveling rope of fabric to shift thethread longitudinally of the reel and thus wind the thread snuglythereon.

HIN'K- LEY a. sWE'r'I'.

